Happy!

Did you realize that today is a day of celebration here a Life At It's Finest!?

It certainly is!

Today marks my 200th post! {which should be much higher for the 3 years I've been blogging!}

More importantly, today is the 8th month anniversary from my heart surgery!!

In some ways, it feels as if was just yesterday that I was in Cleveland, yet it also feels as if it has already been years since the surgery. With every month that has passed, I've found myself getting more emotional when I think about everything we've faced this year. Cody and I were so busy before the surgery and we really did not have the time to sit down and process what we were about to go through until we were practically checked into the hospital.

I do believe that not working through some of the emotions before the surgery made for a harder emotional recovery. There were so many emotions {both positive and negative} that came up while I was recovering at home and I was so unprepared to work through them. Cody and I both agree that we really struggled as a couple during my recovery because we were individually struggling with so much and it was hard to vocalize the fears to each other.

While I am so thankful that Cody and my family focused on the positive aspects of the surgery and we all believed that the surgery was completely covered and guided by the Lord, there was a small inner voice that no one was willing to vocalize: what if His plan had a different outcome than we wanted? I don't remember bargaining with God to come out of the surgery alive, but I do vividly remember repeating a sentence to myself as they wheeled me into the operation room: God, you have not chosen March 16 to be the last day of my life. You will see me through this surgery. God, you have NOT chosen March 16 to be the last day of my life. You WILL see me through this surgery.

A while back Cody and I were talking about the year we've had and I was saying what a bad year 2010 had been and Cody was like- "Really? I feel like it's been such a good year." I listed off all of the bad things we've faced and Cody responded by reminding me of how God was faithful in every one of our bad situations. He certainly put my views into perspective, and eight months down the road, I now have a new chant that I am repeating: Psalm 126: 3- The Lord has done GREAT things for us and we are filled with joy!

As we enter the holiday season, my heart is so deeply filled with gratitude for every day that I have. Whatever circumstances you may be facing, I hope that you will find a verse to cling to and know that even if it doesn't seem like it at the time, the Lord is doing great things for you and He can carry you through the hardest situations.

Happy Heart Day Y'all!